Motor-vehicle.



No. 643,258. Patented Feb. la, |900.

E. A. sPEnnv.

MOTDR VEHICLE.

(Application led Oct. 30, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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No. 643,258. Patented Feb. I3, |900.

E. A. SPEBRY.

MUTUR VEHICLE.

(Application med Oct. 30, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

ELMER A. SPERRY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

MOTOR-VEHICLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 643,258, dated February 13, 1900.

Original application filed August 25, 1898, Serial No. 689,462. Divided and this application filed October 30,1899. Serial No. 735,167. `(lo model.)

To (//ZZ '1l/'700m t may concern:

Beit known that I, ELMEE A. SPERRY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvem entsin Motor-Vehicles,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to motor-gearing for vehicles; and it consists in various details of the motor-housings, power connections from the motor to the driving axle or axles, actuating means and connections from the actuator to the gearing, certain controlling mechanism, and interlocking devices between the control and the connections for manipulating the gearing.

All of the above are described and fully set forth in the present specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a sectional view of motor housings and gearing; Fig. 2, a detail of the housing, showing Ventilating-passages; Fig. 3, a diagram showing arrangement of the control and lock for the change-gear devices. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the manipulating devices mounted upon the body connected with and operating parts of the motorgearing. Fig. 5 is supplemental to Figs. 1 and 3, being a section through the intermediate shaft, showing change-gear. Fig. 6 is a general view of the supporting-truck and axle-gear.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts throughout.

Referring now to Fig. 1, let A and A' represent the members, respectively, of a compound aXle and a planetarygear arrangement. (Shown in more general view in Fig. G.) To these shaft-s are connected, respectively, gears meshing with revolving pinions, all within the oil-housing B, furnished with The housing will be seen to consist of the extended web of the gear C, which meshes with the pinion D, all Within the inclosing housing 0,. The jack-in-the-box structure being familiar, it will not be explained in detail. The pinion D is mounted upon a shaft D, which in turn is mounted within the motor-housings,which receive support from the journals A A", mounted upon the compoundaxle. The motor-housings E are secured to the circular journatcase A" by c @which slide in'the yoke c', suitably attached to the motor frame or housing E and serving at its center to hold a rotating screwthreaded shaft c", rotated by the arm c3, the screw-threads operating to insert and Withdraw the'conical friction-disk b. All is preferably surrounded by the housing b4, separable at b5. The other end of the shaft D is socketed for the reception of the rod d, fitted to slide within the socket. The pin d', carried by the rod d, extends laterally through an elongated slot, (clearly seen,) having its ends securely fastened within the internal circular groove, (clearly seen at cl.) The rod d in moving backward and forward thus serves to move the pinion D, which is loose upon the shaft D', out of and into engagement with the clutch D, rigidly attached to shaft D. This clutch may be of any suitable construction-such, for instance, as a friction-clutch-but I prefer to use the positive jaw-clutch shown, so that when the pinion D is slipped to the left, as shown, it is free from the clutch and to the right it is in engagement therewith. The pinion is moved by a swinging cam F', mounted upon the cam-lever F, swinging about a pivot F", ref* erence to which will be made later.

Attention is called to the fact that the pinion D is in a position difficult of lubrication, which is required when same is free upon the shaft. This of necessity is done away with by supplying it with a roller-bearing, consisting of a circular roll of needles, (indicated at 613,) this style of bearing being also adapted for longitudinal motion upon the shaft necesgear D4 on a swinging shaft D5, (clearly seen in Fig. 5,) being pivoted at F in the housing IOO F. and being manipulated by lever F, which attaches to pivot Fl outside the housing. Integral with the gear D4 and rigidly attached thereto is gear DG, which, together with D4, is organized to turn loosely upon the shaft D5 and which is organized to mesh with masterpinion D, mounted loosely upon shaft D. It will be seen that by use of lever F the shaft D5 is swunginto and out of mesh or operative engagement with their cooperating gears, and at the same time the master-gear D may be made to engage and disengage with its coperating clutch D by means of the cam F, (clearly seen in Figs. i, 3, and 5,) which is mounted upon lever F and moves therewith. This cam engages rod d, provided with an engaging pin d4, manipulating the rod d longitudinally within the sooketed shaft D', and thus manipulating one member of the coperating clutches. The arrangement shown in the drawings contemplates the movement of the loose pinion D longitudinally upon the shaft, so that the engaging teeth may be engaged, and this action will be seen to occur at the same time that the throwing in and out of engagement of the gears upon the shaft D5 takes place, the cam-slot being of such contour that the action is not simultaneous with the actualy engagement of the gears, but rather occurs dissimultaneously or successively, the clutch being disengaged before the gears are engaged, and vice versa.

In Fig. 5 is seen the lateral pin d4, which serves to connect the rod d with the cam F. The contour of this cam is plainly seen in the figures and operates to engage the pinion D with its clutch D and with its coperating gear alternately, there being a position where both are disengaged, there being a region in the center part of the cam where one is disengaged before the other is engaged, where the pinion is entirely free from either.

Owing to the mechanical strains brought to bear upon the lever F and its connected parts a mechanical lock is used, (shown bythe latch e and its cooperating stationary part e",) having an undercut pawl pivoted upon the lever F at e', engaging the finger c3. The linger eS is pressed upon at one side bya spring e4 and upon the other side engages a pinf, connected rigidly with the rod f. The pin fslides in a slot (shown in dotted lines at F3, constituting a lost-motion device) in the head of the lever F, so that the pinfafter traveling a short distance comes into rigid engagement with the lever in either one or the other direction.- The rodf is manipulated by any suitable device located in the carriage, preferably in the body X-as, for instance, the handle G, locked by the notches G', as shown, and connected to the rod f by any suitable means-such, for instance, as the bell-crank lever G, pivcted at G3. In case the manipulator G is upon the vehicle-body X it is found desirable and in fact necessary that some sort of resilient or yielding connection be supplied between the lock-handle upon A the body and the operated device secured to the axle A. This is shown in Fig. 3 by the spring f, which presses against the end of the rod f', the motion being limited by the slot and pin shown at f3.

Within the vehicle-body X is mounted the controller for the motor M, (indicated at Il,)

tion for the compound gear, as described above. It will be seen that when the controller is so turned that a notch g' is presented in the path of the 'segment G4 the handle G may be manipulated freely, but if the controller is not so turned. that a notch is present, the handle G is locked,and this locking action may take place in either ot' its extreme positions. This position l will denominate as that in which the controller is out of action-viz., when the segment G4 is allowed to pass freely, and it will be seen that when the segment is only partially turned the controller will be locked in this position or locked out 0faction and prevented from turning into any one of its active positions. Moreover, it will be noticed that should the operation of the handle G be stopped in the middle of its excursionsay at notch indicated at G/-the segment GL1 will then be found only part way through the notch, thereby effectually locking the controller H from rotation in either direction, as above referred to. Of course the notch g may be a wide one, so that the lock is effectual only in one direction without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In or about the vehicle and within operating distance of the manipulating-handle G or its connected parts is the limit-switch or automatically-operating self-releasing cut-off or cut-out. The operation of this device is well known and may be briefly referred to as follows:

The magnet 'i when energized retracts its hooked armature t", pivoted,as shown,against the spring z'", which has a predetermined tension. The hook cooperates with the nose s ot' the lever j, which also is furnished with the retractile springj. The stationary contact, which may be inserted with the magnet t', is shown at k, and cooperates with the contact 76, mounted upon the lever j. When these contacts are closed, the circuit is complete, and the hook t" engages the nose Sand holds the contacts in closed-circuit relation against the tension of the spring j. Whenever the current increases beyond a certain strength, the hooked armature t" is retracted, releasing the leverj and allowing the spring j to open the contacts 7c and 7o. I prefer to reengage the cut-off contacts or close the circuit by a movement of the handle G for the following reasons, among others: first, the

IOO

643,258 Y l e double use of the same handle simplifying construction and operation, and, second,when the limit-switch or cut-off operates, it indicates that an extraordinary demand is being made upon the motor and may be made to indicate that the compound gear, which greatly increases the leverage of the motor over the load, should be called into operation, and it is natural that the same handle be made in this way to accomplish both purposes-viz., that of increasing the power for the motor over the load, and thereby correcting the cause and restablishing the circuit, so that its operation may again go forward.

The motor is of any ordinary construction, being cylindrical or rectangular in the main body (shown at M) and is provided with two lateral faces at M'M. To these faces are attached the ordinary motor-housings F. E, which serve to shield the field-windings and support the bearings, as is well known in the art. The upper part of the forward and rear wall of this motor-housing, together with the top, is shown at E, Fig. 2. Here also are shown three screws, by means of which the housing is attached to the face Mot the motor M. The only special feature to which attention is desired to be called in this connection is that these housings,while otherwise entirely inclosing the motor and gearing in any of the ordinary well-known methods, are provided with apertures for ventilation,(shown at I I 1,) which are in the bottom and preferably forward in reference to the carriage-axle A A'. These apertures are shown as covered with gauze or other means for preventing the sudden inrnsh of water or splash of water or saturated mud, and in the upper part of the housing (illustrated in Fig. 2) is a cooperating discharge-aperture, (indicated at I',) which, as will be seen, is located in the upper part of the housing and to the rear. The relative locations of these apertures in the housings are for the purpose of facilitating the ventilation and cooling of the motor.

The running-frame of the vehicle is clearly indica-ted in Fig. 5, and the spring-support between the running-gear and the body is clearlyindicated in Figs. 5 and 6. As attention is especially called to the fact that when the bodyis mounted upon springs, as shown, and a part of the mechanism lying in the body is tol be connected with a device mounted upon the running-gear sornelportion of the operating connection should be supplied with a resilient feature. This has been illustrated and described and will be pointed out in the claims.

From the different diameters of the gears D3, D4, D, and D increased leverage from their use will readily be understood. It will also be seen that the pinion D serves two other gears-viz., being in constant engagement with the main driving-gear C and also at times with the gear DG.

The use and operation of the various structures have been faithfully pointed out as they have been described and will readily be understood by those versed in the art to which it pertains.

Features and details herein shown and described not forming the subject-matter of the claims hereto annexed have been divided out and form the subject-matter of separate applications for Letters Patent.

It will readily be understood that while it is designed to use the above parts in the relation shown, yet some may be used Without the others, and the invention extends to such use. It will, furthermore, be readily understood that theconstruction and arrangement may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The present application constitutes a division of my prior application, Serial No. 689,462, dated August 25, 1898, for motor-gearing.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a motor-gearing for vehicles, a vehicle-body, a running-gear including an axle, vehicle-springs between the running-gear and body, a change-gear mechanism mounted on one side of the said springs, an operating means extending from the body to the mechanism, a locking device forlocking the mechanism in a predetermined position, located on the other side of springs a lost-1notionoperating connection extending between the lock, upon one side of the springs and the mechanism upon the other side of the springs and means for holding the lock in engagement.

2. In a Vehicle, a Vehicle-body, a runninggear for the vehicle, including an axle, springs between the running-gear and the body, a change-gear mechanism connected with the axle, an operating means extending from the body to the mechanism, a locking device for locking the mechanism in a predetermined position, located upon the mechanism, upon one side of the springs, a lost-motion-operating connection between the means and the lock, means for holding the lock in engagement, located upon the other side of the springs and a compressible resilient member in said operating means.

3. In a vehicle-motor gearing and gear-0perating mechanism, mounted on an axle, a motor-car body, springs between the motorcar body and the axle, operating means located in the car-body, an operating connection extending from the means to the gearchanging mechanism, a lock for the gearing on the axle, and a resilient or compressible member in such connection.

4. In a motor-gearing, a change-gear for inl creasing the power of the motor over the load, a load-limiting power cut-olf for the motor, operating means extending to the mechanism for manipulating the change-gear and a device for operating the cut-off, restablishing IOO IIO

the power connection to the motor when thus throwing the gear into operation, the device operated by the means.

5. In a vehicle-motor gearing and gear-operating mechanism, mounted on an axle, a motor-car body, springs between the motorcar body and the axle, operating means located in the car-body, an operating connection extending from the means to the gearchanging mechanism, a lock for the gearing 'on the axle, a resilient or compressible inem- 7. In a motor-gearing for vehicles, an electric motor, bearings for the armature-shaft of such motor, in combination with a casing for the ends of the motors, supporting such bearings, provided with Ventilating-passages, 10W on the motor-casing on one end of the armature-shaft and high on the casing upon the opposite end.

8. In a motor-gearing for vehicles, an electric motor, bearings for the armature-shaft of such motor, a casing for the ends of the motor, supporting such bearings, provided with Ventilating-passages low on the motor-casing on one end ofthe armature-shaft and high on the casing upon the opposite end, in combination with a hood, as I, for the passage of the last-named end.

ELMER A. SPERRY.

IVitnesses:

W. S. ROGERS, M. C. PRENDERGAST. 

